© November 1, 2009
By Daniel L. Cox
Editor, Poker Insider Magazine

Las Vegas, NV - Mike Sexton, known around the world as Poker's Ambassador was the only inductee selected for the Poker Hall of Fame's Class of 2009. The World Poker Tour Commentator was up against a strong field of poker's elite, including 7-time WSOP Bracelet winner Phil Ivey (an 8^th bracelet is possible later this month, since he is in the 2009 Main Event Final Table). Sexton met the requirements of the nominating committee to become the only member of this year's group selected for induction.

Selecting Sexton was probably an easy decision for judges, considering he has impressive poker credentials. He has won over $3.7 million playing poker,  cashed in 47 WSOP  (including a WSOP bracelet in Seven-Card Stud) and took down the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions. Sexton has been promoting the game as the commentator for the World Poker Tour as a spokesman for the Poker Insider Magazine's Poker Parlor (in association with the National League of Poker).

Mike was well qualified for the honor, surpassing the criteria for induction into the Hall of Fame including playing poker against acknowledged competition, playing for high stakes, playing consistently well, and earning the respect of his peers. In a career spanning more than 30 years, he has stood the test of time. It cannot be argued that his role with the WPT, he has been a major contributor to the growth of poker in the last decade and the overall success of the game.

Besides his accomplishments at the table, he has become known for his philanthropy. The US Army veteran donated half of his million dollar prize from the WSOP Tournament of Champions to a variety of charities, including charities to help our returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. With Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher and they recently started Poker Gives, an organization that provides the poker community the ability to contribute to several worthy charities.

The original 2009 nominees also included the following players, though the nominating committee removed Tom Dwan from final consideration before sending the names to the selection committee.

The Poker Hall of Fame was created in 1979 by Benny Binion, owner of the Horseshoe Casino and host of the World Series of Poker. He created the Hall to preserve the names and legacies of the world's greatest poker players and act as a tourist attraction. Binion was known far beyond downtown Las Vegas for the creative ways in which he would market the Horseshoe. When Harrah's Entertainment acquired the rights to the WSOP in 2004, they also assumed ownership of the Poker Hall of Fame. Today, membership to the Poker Hall of Fame is handled by members of the Hall's nomination committee. The current rules call for an initial public nomination phase where the top ten players are selected by open ballot, followed by refinement of the list by the committee where the names can be removed if they feel they do not meet the criteria or add any additional names they felt should have been included, but were neglected by open ballot. The vote then goes to the electorate, the living members of the Hall of Fame and an equal number of media representatives.

Johnny Moss and 'Nick the Greek' Dandalos, (known for their historic 5 month long poker battle at Binion's in 1949 that ended when Nick, down over $2 million, stood up and said "Mr. Moss, I have to let you go.") are among the seven selected by Benny Binion as part of the initial Hall of Fame. Other inductees that year were Felton 'Corky' McCorquodale (a well known Texas road gambler, he is credited with introducing Hold'em to Las Vegas in 1963) , pioneer poker player 'Red' Winn and casino owner and high-stakes poker player Sid Wyman. To honor players from before the modern era, Edmond Hoyle, the original compiler of "According to Hoyle," (the first book to put down standard rules of poker, if only we could get casinos to do the same now) and William 'Wild Bill' Hickok (of Deadwood's Aces and Eights fame), one of the 19^th century's most famous poker players, were also included.

Since 1980, at least one player has been added to the Hall nearly every year (with the exception of 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2000). The addition of Mike Sexton, the Hall of fame now boasts 38 members, with 16 living members.